The Winner Is
by shadowscantcatchyou
Summary: A collection of Gail and Holly drabbles/ficlets from seasons 4 and 5.
1. Chapter 1

You have to admit that Holly Stewart is pretty likable. In fact, there are several things that you really, really like about her.

You like the way she uses words like _serendipitous_ and _unyielding_ in text messages, because seriously, could she be any more of a nerd? (Although you're fairly sure that after you complained about it to her, she began to use even bigger words just to wind you up.)

You like that she's good at what she does—yeah, forensic pathology may be completely foreign to you, but even you can see that her talent is undeniable.

You like that she responds to your sarcastic comments with good-natured chuckles and joking quips; nine out of ten times, you're left with no viable option other than to smile back.

You just like _her_.

It's a pleasant change, you think, knowing you have a friend to fall back on no matter how snarky or rude you are—because let's face it, you _do_ make it hard for people to be around you. But not Holly. She sees through the act and it's refreshing. No—it's more than refreshing. It's something that you can't quite explain.

What you _don't_ like, however, is how your thoughts keep drifting to her every time you're halfway through your paperwork. That's just plain annoying.

Stupid nerd.


	2. Chapter 2

By now you know you shouldn't be surprised that a game of baseball with Holly—albeit a questionable one—is enough to cheer you up. Enough to make the last couple of months feel practically irrelevant. Because really, if she can't cheer you up these days, who else can?

You can't focus on much other than your pathetic attempts at batting (somehow she's managed to convince you to have another go), and the sound of Holly's laughter in the background that makes you just a little more careless—a little more willing to lose all your dignity just for the sake of the moment.

And you're feeling such a peculiar mix of embarrassment and light-headedness as you try to explain to her for the hundredth time that you're_ just not good at sports_, as Holly says, "But Gail, you're_ police_. You've got to have _some_ hand eye coordination," between fits of laughter.

"Oh, you'd be surprised," you say with frown, and then go on to miss the ball spectacularly again.

Thankfully the baseball helmet hides your blush. You feel sixteen again—self conscious and awkward and weirdly hysterical about the whole thing. But despite the fact that you haven't actually managed to hit the ball yet, you're enjoying yourself and you can tell Holly is too.

"Oh my _god. _That's it," you say helplessly when you miss the ball once more. "I give up."

Holly chuckles shamelessly while you try to hide your smile.

"Here," she says, entering the batting cage and gesturing to the bat. "Come on, hand it over."

And then she's grinning at you and telling you about how you're supposed to hold the bat in a certain way or _something, _except you're not really listening to what she's saying because she's standing so close.

You ignore the feeling in your stomach, and instead stand in position so you can press the button for her on queue.

Holly hits the ball with impressive ease before turning to face you, smiling triumphantly. "See? Easy."

You narrow your eyes. "No one likes a show off."

Your comment only serves to make Holly's smile widen.

"Last time I heard, jealously isn't such desirable trait either," she says, looking you up and down pointedly.

"It is when you've got a face like mine," you tell her. "Anyway, next time we go out _I'm_ choosing what we're doing."

Holly raises an eyebrow. "Next time, huh?"

Clearly you've managed to reach some sort of unspoken agreement that there's been enough sports for one night, because she nudges your shoulder and then before you know it she's leaving the batting cage.

"Uh, _yeah_," you say, following behind her. "You think it'd be fair if I didn't grace you with my presence again? I'm only being a decent human being, Holly."

"Well then," Holly turns around and smiles warmly, "I'm flattered, Officer."

You can't help it; you smile back.


	3. Chapter 3

"My friends are stupid," Gail announces to Holly in lieu of a hello as she strolls into the lab.

She quickly deposits the things she's carrying in her arms onto Holly's desk—how she managed to get it all here without dropping anything is beyond her.

"Ever heard of knocking?" Holly asks halfheartedly, without lifting her eyes away from what looks like a pile of... weird bones or something.

"What, like this?" Gail drums her hands against Holly's desk as she takes a seat beside the exam table. "Hmm, yeah, definitely sounds familiar."

Holly takes off her gloves, removing her attention from the table and looking up at Gail with one eyebrow quirked and an amused grin on her lips.

"So... I bought sandwiches," Gail tells her after a moment, gesturing to the food by their side. "And coffee."

She notices the look on Holly's face and pauses.

"What?" she snaps. "Don't look at me like that. I stole the sandwiches from Dov."

"And there was me thinking Gail Peck was doing something nice for me," Holly finally says with a teasing smile.

"Well I _am_ known around the division for my random acts of kindness, Holly," she says nonchalantly, taking a bite of her own sandwich. "You should know that by now."

She's not completely sure when she started turning up here on her lunch breaks. All she knows is that Holly's lab provides a strange sort of serenity which is almost non-existent on her average day at 15 Division. And Holly's not too bad either, she guesses.

When she looks back up, Holly's still wearing that curious, unreadable smile on her lips.

"_What?_" she asks again, feeling increasingly self conscious.

"Nothing, _nothing_," Holly says, chuckling lightly as she holds her hands up in mock defense. "I've just been having a stressful day and... I'm happy to see you."

"Oh." Gail pauses for a moment, slightly taken aback. "I didn't know it was possible for you to tire of spending your days alone in a basement with a pile of rotting corpses," she tells her, swiveling on her chair whilst her eyes scan the room.

Holly reaches over and takes a sandwich. "And yet here you are, _choosing_ to spend your free time with me. What exactly does that say about you, Gail?"

"What is _says_, Holly, is that my friends are stupid."

"I suppose I'm your last resort, then?"

Gail grins. "That's exactly what you are."

"You've got such a way with words," Holly deadpans, prodding Gail's shoulder. "But hey, I guess I can't complain about this if I'm going to be given free food every time you turn up uninvited."

"Don't get used to it, nerd. Just shut up and eat your sandwich before it gets cold."

Ten minutes have passed when Gail finally accepts that she should really be heading back now. She gets up from her seat, grudgingly making her way to the door before pausing for a moment. Holly's already absorbed in her work again, her brow knitted in concentration and a strand of loose hair falling over her face that she hasn't noticed yet. It makes Gail's heart feel heavy in her chest.

She leans against the door and smiles. "Holly?"

It takes a moment before Holly's eyes briefly flicker over to her. "Yes, Gail?"

"I'm happy to see you too."

And even though she leaves the room before Holly can reply, Gail's sure she can feel the smile Holly gives her in response.

It's not until she's sat in the changing rooms at the end of her shift five hours later that she notices the text Holly's sent her.

_How about you pick me up after your shift with a bottle of wine and tell me why your friends are so stupid?_

Gail can barely contain her smile as she picks up her coat and collects together the last of her things.

_Deal, _she texts back.

* * *

**Author's note: **These aren't even drabbles if they go over 100 words, are they? The summary for this is a complete lie. Sorry. If you have any requests/prompts for a not-drabble, then please leave them in the review section. Thank you for reading :)


	4. Chapter 4

Stupid Holly. Stupid Holly with her stupid, beautiful smile and her stupid, gorgeous face and her _stupid _death-trap of a vehicle.

"You said this would be fun!" Gail shouts, attempting to make her voice heard over her helmet.

"It is!"

"We're going to _die_, Holly. Death is imminent. _Imminent._ Does that sound like fun to you?"

"You're aware of what I do for a living, right?"

"That's not funny. _You're_ not funny—"

Holly revs the motorcycle engine and they lurch forward, their speed steadily increasing.

"—Oh my _god_," Gail squeals, squeezing her eyes shut. She grips Holly's waist tighter. "Sorry! I take it all back, okay? You're hilarious!"

"Oh, I am, am I?"

"Yes, you're the funniest person I know," Gail tells her, trying desperately not to fall into her usual sarcastic drawl. "Now please slow down."

"Fine," Holly says.

For a blissful moment Gail feels their speed decrease and relaxes a little, letting go of the breath she's holding. And then Holly speeds up.

"Wha—this is not slower. Why aren't we going slower?"

At first she isn't dignified with a verbal reply, but she can feel Holly's stomach tensing beneath her fingertips as she laughs in response.

"Try being a little more genuine next time, and maybe I'll actually listen," Holly says. And then in a weird, monotone voice, she repeats, "_You're the funniest person I know._"

It takes Gail a few seconds to realise she's being imitated.

"I hope for your sake as well as mine that I don't sound like that," she mutters.

She isn't sure how she even got herself into this mess—how she willingly agreed to it.

Because Holly driving a four-wheeled vehicle? That's one thing. Gail had expected the brunette's calm, composed nature to be reflected in her driving. She was quick to realise that certainly isn't the case. It's like she transforms into an over-excited kid on Christmas morning as soon as she settles down in the driver's seat. _And_ she has a tendency to slam down on the breaks a little too hard.

But a two-wheeled vehicle? This is a whole new level of terrifying.

And yet _of course_ she knows why she agreed. How could she resist when she caught sight of Holly leaning against the shiny black motorcycle, the thought of their bodies being pressed against each other immediately flitting through her mind?

It's safe to say she regrets her decision now, because they are going to _die_.

And just as the thought leaves her mind, the engine makes a weird, rumbling noise and they come to an abrupt halt.

_We've crashed,_ Gail thinks. _We've crashed and we're dead._

"Holly," she screeches, her voice barely audible as she clutches her girlfriend's body for dear life. "I think I can see the light."

"You can see the _traffic lights_," Holly corrects her patiently, clearly amused.

"Oh." She looks around, taking in the view before shutting her eyes once more. "Fair enough."

After a minute or so they begin moving again.

Gail doesn't loosen her grip on Holly as they continue on their trip of horror; although as the journey progresses, she has to admit that she's sort of enjoying this. Not Holly's erratic driving, not one bit. But more the fact that she gets to hold her so close without question. Their relationship—if that's what it is—is still in its early, undefined stages. And Gail likes this whole 'being with Holly' thing. She likes it _a lot_ and she knows Holly's in it just as much as she is. But she still can't help but feel a little hesitant each time she wants to touch Holly, hold her, kiss her. This, though? It's the perfect excuse.

She doesn't bother opening her eyes again until she hears Holly's voice, half muffled by her helmet.

"Gail, honey," she says softly.

"Hmm?" Gail mumbles, still holding their bodies close.

"We're here now."

"Oh."

Slowly she opens her eyes to find that, yes, they are indeed parked outside Holly's house. And yes, they are both alive with all their limbs in tact.

"So you're going to have to let go of me now," Holly continues, amused. But instead of getting up she takes off her helmet, allowing her hair to cascade down her shoulders, and leans back into Gail with a contented sigh. "Or not," she finishes, breathing out. "This is nice too."

Gail copies her, depositing her helmet to the side before her hands return to their gentle embrace of Holly's waist.

"That was... interesting," Gail says slowly, resting her forehead against Holly's back and breathing her in. "A very interesting experience."

"Yeah," Holly agrees, reaching for the blonde's hands and covering them with her own. "Not so bad when you get used to it though, huh?"

Gail presses a kiss to Holly's neck. "I guess so," is her quiet reply. Because really, this one moment has made it all worth while. Everything about Holly makes this worth while.

And besides, she's only _borrowing_ the motorcycle after all. This will all be over soon.

"You know, I didn't actually go over the speed limit," Holly tells her. "You're just a huge wimp."

Gail is about to argue back, almost in default, before realising that her heart is really not in it. She's far too happy in this perfect little moment that they're sharing.

Instead she presses another soft kiss to Holly's neck and says, "Whatever," with a smile.

* * *

**Author's note:** If you haven't seen the picture Aliyah posted on her Twitter of her and that motorcycle, you should. I'm sure you already have though. And if you were wondering, this is set some time between 5x01 and 5x03.


	5. Chapter 5

When Holly sees Gail leaning against the entrance of her office, she's more than surprised. Not because Gail has turned up here—she's used to that. It's more to do with the fact that she's never seen the blonde look so weary before. She's seen her irritable, restless, grumpy, bored—but not this. This is definitely new.

Gail's eyes are shut, and she's resting her head against the door frame. She's still and completely silent, and it makes Holly wonder how long she's been standing there.

"Gail?" she calls out tentatively, pushing her paperwork to the side.

Holly doesn't receive a response right away, so she rests her chin in her hands and waits, watching the blonde intently.

Gail opens her eyes after a moment. "Hi," she replies quietly. She looks delicate, like she could break at any moment, like she's doing everything in her power not to cry. "Sorry, you're probably busy. It's just... I've had a long day and..." She sighs. "I don't really know why I'm here."

Holly hears the waver in Gail's voice and a weird feeling settles in the pit of her stomach.

"You're always welcome, Gail... you know that. But it's not like you've ever needed a reason to turn up here before," Holly tries to joke, giving her a reassuring smile.

"How very funny of you," Gail responds dryly.

"So are you just going to stand at the door, or do you want to come in?"

Gail shakes her head. "No. Yes. I mean... I can't. My shift isn't over yet. I just wanted to..." She drifts off and then shuts her eyes again, taking in a breath like she's trying steady herself.

Holly wishes she would finish her sentence. Wishes she could get some insight into exactly what the problem is right now.

"Wanted to what?" she prompts.

"I'm not sure."

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes," Gail answers quickly. And then she frowns. "No. I don't know."

Holly doesn't know what to do. She knows what she _wants_ to do—she wants to go over there and pull Gail into her arms, reassure her, _something_. Not just sit here. But Gail is acting strange. Stranger than usual. And there's something in her demeanor that makes Holly think she just needs some space.

"Right, well, I'm going start this," she tells Gail, vaguely gesturing to the notes for the paper she's yet to write, "but I'm here if you need me."

"I know," Gail says quietly, just about managing to give her the smallest of smiles. "Thank you."

Holly returns the smile. "Not a problem."

She quickly absorbs herself in her work, far too used to the blonde's presence to be distracted by it. But the next time she looks up from her desk, Gail is gone.

* * *

**Author's note:** Thank you for reading. Feedback is welcome :)


	6. Chapter 6

Gail enters the lab to find Holly sitting at her desk, frantically typing away on her laptop with a mismatch of files surrounding her.

"Good afternoon," Gail greets her cheerfully. "How is my second favourite forensic pathologist in Toronto doing today?"

As soon as Holly hears Gail's voice, she feels the weight of the day momentarily lift off her shoulders.

"Rodney's happily married with two kids, Gail. Isn't it about time you got over him?"

"Oh Holly, if only it were that simple," she replies wistfully. She saunters over to her desk, wearing an over-confident grin. "I happen to find his 20:20 vision and receding hair line very attractive."

"How will I ever be able to compete?" Holly responds dryly, smiling despite herself.

"Oh, you won't. Ever." Gail leans over and brushes her lips against Holly's before quickly pulling away and saying, "I'm just going to have to learn to put up with you."

Holly runs her hands through Gail's hair. "I'm sure you'll manage."

"Probably," she replies, sighing dramatically.

They share a smile.

"So, what brings you here?"

Gail gives her a quick kiss on the cheek before she hops up onto the desk. "Swarek wants an update on his mystery case."

And there it is again, the stress that Holly's been feeling all day. "You'll have to tell him that the mystery case is still very much a mystery."

"Slacking, are we, Doctor Stewart?"

"I wish," Holly says quietly, running a hand through her hair.

Gail detects the frustration in Holly's voice immediately. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. There are just a lot of complications, I guess."

"What do you mean?" Gail can't help but ask. If Holly can't figure it out, the case really must be as big of a mystery as Swarek's making out to be.

"I'm not sure yet," Holly says, biting her lip. She frowns. "I've been through everything over and over again. But nothing. I mean, most myocardial infarctions are precipitated by acute coronary thrombosis—"

"Of course they are." Gail has to hold back her smile as she observes Holly in full-on nerd mode. It's cute, Gail will admit that, but how on earth does Holly even know what all those words even mean?

"—And look, here you can clearly see the plaque build up in the coronary artery blocking oxygen and blood flow to the heart," Holly continues, passing a photo over to Gail. "Which is what you'd expect, obviously."

"Obviously," Gail agrees with a firm nod, pretending to inspect the photo before handing it back. She has no idea what Holly is saying. None whatsoever.

"So there's no way it wasn't a heart attack. But according to this file, the decedent complained of no steady substernal chest pain, nor did he have any epigastric or abdominal distress—"

"Epigastric," Gail repeats, trying to sound authoritative. Her eyes fall to Holly's lips.

"—I've even checked with his doctor at the hospital, but he just confirmed that the decedent displayed none of the usual manifestations. No palpatations, no disorentation, no bradycardia or tachycardia." Holly stands up and begins to pace, her hands moving in frantic gestures. "Not any signs of premature ventricular or atrial beats, either. And—"

Gail reaches towards Holly's waist and pulls her in, pressing their lips together and cutting her off. Her lips are as soft and warm and as wonderful as they usually always, and Gail can't help but sigh into her mouth as Holly captures her top lip between her own.

Holly's hands reach up and find Gail's face before she gently runs her fingertips over her lips. For a moment she forgets about the case, instead allowing herself to get lost in the feel of the gorgeous blonde in front of her and the way their bodies fit together so perfectly.

Gail pulls away slowly, resting their foreheads together, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "You know I had no idea what you were saying, right?"

"I know," Holly replies, playing with the hairs on the nape of Gail's neck. "I just thought if I said it out loud something might click."

"And did it?"

Holly sighs. "No, not exactly."

Gail pulls her in and kisses her lightly. "Stop frowning, Hols. You'll give yourself wrinkles and then I'll have to leave you."

"Oh the horror," Holly says, rolling her eyes.

Gail kisses her one last time before she pulls back. "I'll update Swarek on the case," she tells her. "And then who knows, maybe when you get home tonight there'll be a hot bath waiting for you."

Holly just shakes her head, smiling to herself as Gail leaves the room. Her girlfriend is insane.

* * *

**Author's note: **If any of the medical stuff Holly says in this chapter is even a little bit accurate, I'd be more than surprised.


End file.
